I say it out loud every time I eat chickpea “tuna” salad. This is an absolute perfect summer recipe for any occasion, from daily lunches, to beach picnics, to a Forth of July cookout. What’s better, it only takes a few minutes to make! MmMmMmmmm.

I’ve never been a fan of processed faux seafood products. Yet, I’ve found that by using whole plant-based ingredients in place of highly processed ones, fakin’ vegan food is so much tastier and more fun. Sure, I could go to the store and pick up some vegan “fish”, but what’s really in that? Could it be any healthier than opening up a can of chickpeas? Probably not. Using whole plant-based ingredients, like chickpeas, to replicate animal based dishes isn’t as creepy, and it’s so much better for you. Have you seen my vegan “crab cakes”? Boy… I used to L.O.V.E crab in every form, but I’ve seen the light. I truly believe this vegan stuff is just as good, if not better.

On the left vegan chickpea “tuna” with vegan mayo, and on the right with avocado.

In the video I made this chickpea “tuna” salad using vegan mayo. However, if you are avoiding added oils (mayo is a blend of oil), you’ll have great results using creamy mashed avocado. The flavor is a little milder, but equally as delightful. To really take it to the next level, enjoy the salad on toast (I used sprouted rye bread with dill and caraway seeds), with some romaine lettuce, and a few sheets of seasoned nori. If you do plan on making this for a party or cookout, make sure you at least quadruple the recipe. Folks are going to be all over this one.

Have you made a vegan “seafood” dish before? What do you like to use in place of fish? Ever have mushroom ceviche? I’d like to post a recipe for that soon too 😉

I recommend Ume plum vinegar is a very special ingredient made with Japanese plums. It has a distinctive flavor, so I don't recommend substituting a different vinegar for this one. Do what you must to get your hands on it (though that really should not be difficult). I buy Eden brand ume plum vinegar at Whole Foods. You can also find it online. This ingredient is very salty, which is why there is absolutely no added salt in the recipe. Use salt-free beans. If you only have beans with salt alredy added reduce the amount of ume vinegar you use. And just one last thing, my other favorite ways to use ume vinegar is on diced cucumbers, and on rice 🙂 Don't have a food processor yet? Go get you one!!

This was so good.I used dry beans that I had already cooked up instead of canned. I added some extras after i mixed it up. Adding in some cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, garlic powder. I didn’t have that vinegar so I added extra dijon and some lemon juice. I had all this on top of some spinach and kale.

I made 1 can worth and my daughter and I enjoyed it so much we made an extra batch for tomorrow for her to take to school and me to take to work. Very happy with how this turned out and will be making this many more times!

Growing up we used to eat a lot of mashed avocado and tuna on bread or crackers. Years later vegan feels right for me though and this tastes even better. Had it tonight on some pitta bread and put some lettuce on it as well. Amazing! Thank you for the simple recipe!

Yes, I do say out loud : “This is so delicious!”, every time I make it. Today, I did not have celery, so I sneaked in some shredded carrots, yum. My two older sons, love it also. To be honest, I could eat chick pea salad every day! Thank you, Jenne, for an awesome recipe. With food this good, having a plant based diet is easy!

Yummy!! I know exactly what you mean. I want to eat this all of the time; and often do. I especially like it for to-go lunches. I take it with a few nori rolls and/or romaine 🙂
Thank you for commenting!!

miriammarcus

Thank you for this! I will be enjoying this for dinner tomorrow night <3

Best recipe ever..made this for my lady’s lunch today and now her coworkers want some. I immediately gave them your link..but somehow I think they want me to be their lunch lady..I will be trolling your site for more goodies. 🙂

I followed your recipe but stired in at the end: 1 x sheet of Nori (I ground up the seaweed sheet, for extra fishy flavour, in my mini Ninja food processor). I was suprised by how much it tasted like real tuna. I will be making this again and many more times.

I just made this. Although I didn’t follow the recipe exactly (i.e. I used regular, non-vegan mayo and eyeballed some of the measurements), I still enjoyed the result. I need something to make ahead and bring for lunch to work. This fits the bill nicely. It’s filling, doesn’t require heating and is easily portable. I might use less plum ume vinegar next time. I only used 1 Tbsp but even that was a little salty for me. Overall I would highly recommend this for a simple and fast meal!

Hefisah Nejeser

I’m so excited to make this! I’m not vegan (yet) lol but I am allergic to tuna. I’m so happy to have found a healthy substitute! P.S. I’m also allergic to soy and so glad that many of your recipes don’t require soy

The Cookbook

Hi, I’m Jenné

I developed my love of sweet potatoes while growing up in beautiful Atlanta, GA. As a picky kid, they were one of the few healthy foods I would eat. Candied yams, sweet potato pie, and a good ol' baked sweet potato; when I think of soul food, these come to mind. Now as a vegan chef sweet potatoes are still my favorite food, and one of the most delightful and soulful ingredients. The recipes in this blog aren't all laced with sweet potatoes, but they are all made with a generous sprinkling of soul.
jenne@thenourishingvegan.com